At age 62, most people are itching for retirement, but James “Jim” Badrak isn’t ready to take his final bow anytime soon. Last July, he was cast in the role of Director of Performing Arts Operations at Lynn University’s Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center in Boca Raton. In this capacity, he oversees the facility and assesses any necessary upgrades.
“I’m here to take care of the center’s legacy and to make sure that we’re here in 10, 20, 30 years,” he says. “It’s important for the school, the students [and] the community.”
Badrak always knew he wanted to work in showbiz but was unsure what form that would take. The youngest of six, he grew up in a musical family in Wilmington, Del. He and his siblings would perform on stage and play in the orchestra pit, his mother would sew costumes and his father would make props for school musicals. After attending a few different colleges, he transferred to the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, graduating in 1985 as a voice major with a musical theater degree.
Despite an impressive résumé that includes a stint as the Director of Production at Carnegie Hall, working in the production of five Broadway shows and in the production of six Tony Awards, touring with Oprah Winfrey and studying conducting at Julliard, Badrak is not one to toot his own horn. (However, he does own 13 trumpets and hopes to collect more.)
How’d he reach such heights? The old adage is true: practice, practice, practice!
“I did a lot of gigs before I got that gig at Carnegie Hall,” he says with tears in his eyes. “I worked. Nothing was given to me. I earned it. I paid attention. I was fortunate. My family supported me. Being a musician, being on that stage and then being responsible for that building and for all the art that happened in there, it’s emotional.”
His proudest roles, however, are those of husband and father. Despite the demands of his career, he prioritizes family time. Some weekends, he takes the Brightline train from Boca Raton to Orlando, where his wife still lives in their primary home. Their 21-year-old son, a student at University of West Florida, values the strong family bonds they’ve maintained. The family share their love for their lab/shepherd mix and relish the moments spent at their second residence in Western Massachusetts.